June 2019
Ticked Off! A Surprising Connections Between Invasive Plants and Lyme Disease
Japanese barberry is a non-native invasive shrub that became established on much of the post-agricultural lands of New England in the early 1900s and has since invaded the forests in which we live. Barberry stifles native tree and wildflower regeneration and can alter soil chemistry. Ten years of research has revealed there is a positive association between Japanese barberry infestations and blacklegged (aka “deer”) ticks and the causal agent of Lyme disease they are infected with. Japanese barberry is a…
Find out more »NC Pollinator Pathway Launch
In exciting news, New Canaan has pledged to become part of the pollinator pathway: a pesticide-free corridor of public and private properties that provides native plant habitat and nutrition for pollinators (learn more at pollinator-pathway.org). Did you know that a large portion of Fairfield, Westchester, and Putnam Counties has pledged to leverage and connect pollinator pathways? Nearby towns who have already committed are hard at work planting demonstration pollinator gardens on public open spaces and encouraging homeowners to join by…
Find out more »